The government of Lampung has projected that the province’s rice production will reach 687,750 tons during the 2023 harvest season.

“In this year’s harvest (season), rice production in Lampung is predicted to reach 687,750 tons rice equivalent,” assistant for economic affairs and development in the Lampung provincial government, Kusnardi, said here on Wednesday.

He explained that the projection is based on the cumulative harvest in 15 districts and cities in the province.

Central Lampung district is predicted to be the most significant contributor of rice during the harvest until March, he noted.

He said that the arrival of the harvest season is expected to stabilize rice prices, which are fluctuating in the market.

“The maximal absorption of unhulled rice during the harvest season is expected to control rice prices so that inflation can be controlled,” he said.

Meanwhile, deputy head of the Lampung Regional Division of the State Logistics Agency (Bulog), Lilik Nurcholiq, said that the Lampung Bulog will strive to maximally absorb unhusked rice from farmers to maintain food reserves.

According to Nurcholiq, the maximal absorption of unhulled rice will be carried out with several provisions, for instance, the price and quality will have to meet the required specifications.

According to data from the provincial office of Statistics Indonesia (BPS), in 2022, Lampung’s rice harvest area reached 516.91 thousand hectares, reflecting an increase of 27.34 thousand hectares compared to 489.57 thousand hectares in 2021.

Meanwhile, the province’s rice production in 2022 was estimated to reach 2.66 million tons for unhusked rice, an increase of 175.91 thousand tons from the production in 2021.

As for the production of rice for community consumption, in 2022, it was estimated at 1.53 million tons, an increase of 101.12 thousand tons compared to 2021, when it stood at 1.43 million tons.

Source: Antara News